"The shame."
—First by Ash, Brock, and Pikachu; then later by Team Rocket
Japanese Title: Roughneck of the Sea, Heigani Enters!
Original Airdate: May 1, 2003
US Airdate: February 21, 2004
Ash, Pikachu, and Brock realize how shameful it is that they are resorting to Team Rocket's traps.
When the twerps' camp is wrecked by an unknown burrowing Pokémon, Ash goes on the trail to catch it. When it wrecks Team Rocket's camp, they're just out for revenge.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- All Webbed Up: May instructs her Wurmple to catch the mysterious interloper with String Shot, only for the prey to pull Wurmple (and Treecko, and the rest of the twerps) into the water.
- Chekhov's Gun: The training Ash and his Pokémon were doing before Corphish started terrorizing the camp came in handy when Treecko used it to beat Corphish, allowing Ash to capture it.
- Continuity Nod: After Corphish is revealed, Ash recognizes it as the same kind of Pokémon they had caught while fishing two episodes ago, but it's not revealed if it's the same Corphish.
- Corner of Woe: Both because of the Petalburg siblings, after they point out:
- To Ash, Brock, and Pikachu that they shouldn't be bragging about copying Team Rocket's pitfall plan.
- That Team Rocket, having fallen victim to a pitfall, are literally not in the right place to recite their motto.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Upon being captured, Corphish is fine with being friends with Ash, though he does shake Ash's hand too enthusiastically and sends him flying.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: May wearing (presumably) nothing but a towel, Ash pantsless, and Brock sitting on the ground with the tent covering his legs like a blanket. Umm...
- Eating Pet Food: Meowth and Wobbuffet eating the Pokémon food Brock put out is understandable, but the fact that Jessie and James ate it too raises questions about their eating habits.
- Establishing Character Moment: From his time tormenting the twerps and Team Rocket, and even up to his capture, the audience knows that Corphish is going to be a handful for the rest of the series.
- Hypocritical Humor: May jokingly reassures Ash that practice makes perfect, but Ash counters by saying that he isn't seeing her doing any practice...
- Know When to Fold 'Em: May is all for giving up their campsite to the troublemaker, wanting to return to the comforts of a Pokémon Center instead. Unfortunately for her, she gets outvoted by her companions.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In the prologue, Team Rocket are sent flying by Corphish, and they all declare "We're blasting off too soon!"
- Modesty Towel: After getting knocked into the water, May spends the morning with a towel draped around her.
- Murderer P.O.V.: At the beginning of the episode, before he burrows underground, the audience see things from Corphish's perspective as he surfaces from the ocean and charges at the beach and inadvertently blasts Team Rocket away.
- The Runt at the End: During the training session at the beginning, Taillow was the only one panicking as the waves close in on Ash's team.
- Spoiler Title: The episode plays out like a mystery regarding the identity of the troublesome Pokémon, even though both the original and the dub titles didn't bother to hide it.
- Tunnel King: Corphish moves really, really fast underground.
- Wormsign: Up until The Reveal, this is the only sign of the mysterious Pokemon terrorizing everyone.
